cannabisnews.com: Marijuana Distribution Plan Draws Mixed Reactions 





Marijuana Distribution Plan Draws Mixed Reactions 
Posted by FoM on November 26, 2000 at 20:12:48 PT
By The Associated Press 
Source: S.F. Gate
A task force's distribution plan for medical marijuana in Nevada is drawing mixed reactions. Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa said she thinks the plan would win federal approval, but opponents say it would violate the wishes of Nevada voters by restricting access to marijuana. The 2001 Legislature is charged with setting up a distribution method for marijuana following overwhelming voter approval Nov. 7 of the medical marijuana initiative Question 9. 
Despite the action, marijuana remains against federal law. And the Justice Department has gone to court to challenge distribution programs in other states. A voluntary task force of 12 Nevada doctors and pharmacists thinks its plan would avoid the legal hassles plaguing those states. Under the plan by the Medical Marijuana Initiative Committee, the University of Nevada Medical School -- with branches in Reno and Las Vegas -- would create a marijuana research program. The plan calls for marijuana to be grown on a university farm and given to patients. Doctors would track whether the marijuana helped alleviate their pain, nausea or other symptoms. Keith MacDonald, executive secretary of the state Board of Pharmacy, said he thinks a physician-run university research program is the best tactic for the Legislature because it might secure approval of federal authorities. The task force co-founder said a university farm of a few acres could grow all the marijuana needed by Nevada patients. ``Why get it bogged down in the courts?'' MacDonald told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. ``It could go on forever if we pass a distribution plan that the feds oppose.'' Del Papa agreed: ``The feds have recently reopened the door and started approving research projects like this. It would be 100 percent legal.'' Del Papa warned that legislators are asking for trouble if they establish a distribution program without federal consent. A U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the issue could come before the Legislature adjourns in June, she added. But Dan Geary, a leader of Nevadans for Medical Rights, contends the plan violates voters' wishes. He favors a grow-your-own program. ``The people have spoken,'' said Geary, whose group led the fight to pass Question 9. ``But this unofficial task force wants to turn a mandate from the people into a research project that would limit access to marijuana.'' Although the plan may look encouraging to legislators, Oregon medical marijuana advocate Barry Stull insists it's based on an erroneous one-size-fits-all way of thinking. From his experience growing legal marijuana in Portland, he has found its potency varies from plant to plant. ``There is not just one kind of marijuana,'' he said. ``You can grow the wrong kind. One plant may work great for someone and not help another. ``We have to cut through a lot of the social crap about marijuana before we can really help people.'' Source: Associated PressPublished: November 26, 2000 ©2000 Associated Press  Related Articles:Marijuana: Legislature Wades Into Dicey Issue http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7766.shtmlOregon's MMJ Used Mostly To Treat Severe Painhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7750.shtmlMMJ Question Must Go Through Legislature http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7637.shtml
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Comment #2 posted by dddd on November 27, 2000 at 06:44:20 PT
the only approach
 I think growing your own is the only realistic approach.I have no idea what uncle sam charges for his buds,but I'll bet it's not as economical as growing your own. I would imagine that home gardening will be discouraged in these "plans",because they hate the thought of no control,or documentation of what is still,a "schedule 1",drug,right up there with coke and heroin,according to the dea. The antis will be doing all they can to complicate the process,and intimidate all those evil sick people who thought they lived in a free country....dddd
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Comment #1 posted by Ethan Russo, MD on November 27, 2000 at 06:11:22 PT:
Ramifications of the Plan
Should the Nevada legislature pursue this course, it is absolutely certain what will occur:1) All protocols will be subject to review by NIDA.2) There will be inordinate delay, usually measured in years.3) NIDA will supply the usual 2-3% THC material that they call medical marijuana.4) Patients and voters will not be satisfied.5) Very few patients will be helped who live outside of striking distance of Reno or Las Vegas. Take a look at a map: that's a lot of territory.The distribution issue will have to be settled in court. Meanwhile, although imperfect, home cultivation seems the best approach.
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